I Miss You
by bittersweet-endings-2214
Summary: <html><head></head>A phone call can make such a difference. Final chapter up. BBxL</html>
1. Chapter 1

He has a thing for you, you know," told the voice over the cell phone. It was Kaity, or K, one of the supervisors at Wammy's House in Winchester.

"Yes, I know, it's so obvious it's almost painful," L replied, not bothering to distort his voice. He trusted the people that lived at the orphanage constructed around him.

"No, I mean, he likes you," Kaity elaborated. L could only roll his eyes.

"Yes, K, I know that."

"I mean, like like you."

"Yes, K, I know."

Kaity huffed. 'He did NOT!' she shouted internally.

Back at Wammy's House, the 16 year old Beyond Birthday was staring, depressed, out his window. His best friend A had died the day before, and he couldn't get the image of his friend out of his head, seeing him, his copper hair billowing harshly across his face as he fell from the roof to his doom…

"_A, you can't do this! You can't leave me!" B cried._

"_I'm sorry, B. I can't take this anymore," he rasped, his voice barely a whisper as he put his chilly hand onto his friend's face._

_Beyond grabbed the hand on his face as it were a lifeline, and it was. But not his._

"_A! No! You can't! Please!" he wailed, desperately attempting to get his friend to listen to reasoning- and not commit suicide._

"_I'm sorry, B," A whispered, as he took a step back and threw himself off the roof._

"_A! No! No! No!" _

_The cold hand previously on his pallid face slipped from his fingers, and A hit the cement in front of the orphanage with a sound that sounded like snapping celery._

Beyond sighed, wiping the tears that had gathered at his eyes away and made his way downstairs to get some jam. But on his way down the stairs, a child clung to his leg, followed by another.

"Hallo, B-freak!" the two small children shouted excitedly in unison.

Oh god.

Mello and Matt had woken from their naps, and these two were the most obnoxious and troublemaking kids at the orphanage.

And B was their main target.

Beyond sighed irascibly.

"What are you two little turds plotting this time? Putting salt in my jam? Feeding my knives to your 'sheep'?"

"Nope!" screeched the blonde annoyingly. "This time we're gonna just 'nnoy you!"

Beyond facepalmed.

L felt slightly guilty. He hadn't contacted his successors for some time now, and it was undeniable that they missed him. He was, after all, their idol. But one boy, especially, must have missed him more than all the others.

Beyond Birthday.

L sighed as he thought of the name. He suddenly didn't want to call. It would be awkward- he hadn't attended the funeral of Beyond's closest friend, and he knew that it upset him. But L had to call, he couldn't live with himself if he didn't. He picked up his phone.

Matt and Mello were driving B CRAZIER. Mello licked his face, and Matt kept poking his stomach in the SAME. EXACT. SPOT. EVERY. TIME.

But then Beyond's phone rang.

Beyond picked it up, and with his current temper running low, answered it huffily without looking at the caller ID.

"What!" B half-shouted into the phone.

"Woah! I thought you'd be happy to hear from me!"

B dropped his jaw, and nearly did the same with the phone.

"L-L? I-is that you…? Is that you?" Beyond replied finally, excitement growing obviously in his voice.

L chuckled.

"Haha, yes, B, it is me."

"IS THAT L!"

B grimaced and slapped his hands ov er his ears.

"I hear that M and M2 are…"

"Irritating? Moronic? Going to be put down in a minute if they don't stop screaming?"

"…I was going to say enthusiastic."

Matt and Mello squirmed uncomfortably on the sofa, and B sprinted up to his room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

"L, wi-will you be home in time for Christmas this year?"

L's face dropped. He realized. He had two more cases to solve before he could travel back to Winchester.

"I-I'm afraid I can't be."

"O-oh… O-k-kay…"

L winced. He could almost feel the spirit inside his clone plummeting. Just the tone of B's voice was dripping with disappointment.

"I-I'm sorry B, but I-"

And then L realized he was talking to no one.


	2. Chapter 2

Beyond Birthday sat on his bed, eating strawberry jam, gingerly touching his slightly swollen eye.

"_Queer!"_

"_Fag!"_

"_P-please... Sto-op…"_

"_Hahaha! His voice cracked! Ahahahaha!"_

He shuddered with the memory of the tormenters. He wished they would understand that he couldn't choose what orientation he was. He wiped a single tear from his good eye, and decided to cry himself to sleep.

Ever since he called his successor, he felt awful. L couldn't stand it.

"Watari."

"Yes, L?"

"I want to go back home."

Children were running around, shaking boxes, putting tinsel on the Christmas tree, laughing and playing joyously. It was Christmas Eve, but Beyond Birthday was anything but merry.

"Look at the sulky kid!"

Oh no.

No, oh please god, not them!

The stocky teenagers snatched the skinny raven-haired sixteen year old as if he were a twig and dragged him to the bathroom, laughing maniacally.

"BWWWUUULLLWUUUUBBV!"

The bullies laughed- no, bellowed as they slammed the sterile, green stall door behind them, leaving a sobbing boy with a soaked head inside.

Beyond Birthday sat in the cramped stall, bawling. Why was he always the target of the bullies? Suddenly, he heard the door to the washroom open up.

"B! B, are you in here! Get to class! Truancy can get you detention, mister!"

Great. Roger. Just what the poor abused teenager needed.

"Y-yes s-sir," B choked out, running out of the bathroom to his social studies class.

It was Christmas day. No classes. All of the children at the orphanage were unwrapping their presents, drinking egg nog, and singing carols. All but one. The scarlet-eyed teen sat outside in the heavy snow, head slumped in his knees that were pulled to his bony chest. Hot tears flowed from his eyes, falling from his pale chin onto his baggy jeans. He _knew_ that L wouldn't be here this year, he _knew _that he wouldn't see him. So why did he still feel so hollow inside? Why wouldn't the pain go away? He wanted it to stop, he wanted it to disappear, he wanted to not hurt anymore! Why did he feel like he was being abandoned! Why did he feel like-

"B?"

Beyond froze.

His heart skipped a beat and his welling eyes widened.

That- that voice!

The copy shot his head up, and blurrily saw, through his tears!

Could it be…!

"L-L?" Beyond croaked, not believing his eyes.

"B… I wanted- I needed to come home."

The aching in Beyond's chest began to vanish. It began to dissolve away, yet the small lump in his throat remained as he jumped from his crouched position and started to wail into his original's shoulder.

L had a concerned look on his pallid face as he stroked the younger boy's hair and pulled him into a gentle embrace.

"I-I mi-missed you, L-L! I-I thought you'd ne-never come home! I thought- I-I thought-" BB cried, his voice cracking every other word.

L would never admit this, but he thought it was simply adorable.

"Hush, I'm here now," L purred soothingly, not caring about the dampness of his shirt. The only thing he cared about was the young man in his arms, who looked pathetic, who looked miserable. He had bruises visible on his face and arms; he must have been getting shoved around by other kids…

Beyond Birthday truly looked pitiful, but L didn't care. He leaned down, and kissed his copy.

B's eyes flew open, tears still falling down his face as he felt L's lips pressed against his. It felt… nice. He felt as if he were melting, and pure bliss took over his surprised body. It took him a few seconds, but when they were up he threw his arms around L's neck and kissed him passionately back. There they stayed like that for a full minute, before L finally broke the kiss. The clone looked lethargic- L didn't blame him, he must have been exhausted from the recent events, so L wrapped his arm around his successor and leaned against the brick wall of the Wammy's House and watched the other lovingly, as he drifted into a peaceful, finally nightmareless slumber.

L kissed the other on the head, and whispered into his ear:

"_I missed you."_


	3. Chapter 3

**L's POV**

I dragged B upstairs and into his bed, covering him with blankets. Even so, he was still shivering, so I sat next to him, hoping my body heat would warm him up.

I ended up falling asleep that night, for the first time in about a month. But I was thrashed awake the next morning at around 6 AM. I turned to see that B was violently shifting from side to side. Alarmed, I attempt to shake him awake.

"B!" I nearly shouted, "B! Wake up!"

My clone jolted up into a sitting position and screamed.

No, howled more like.

My god, I had heard that he had night terrors, but I didn't know they were _this bad!_

"B! It was a dream! It's okay! It was just a dream!"

I heard a distressed sigh, and saw he was grabbing his forehead and wincing.

I moved his hand and felt his forehead. He was sweating, and his forehead was so hot, it almost hurt to touch.

"B, you're burning up," I said, getting off of the bed. "You wait here, I'll go get some Tylenol! Be right back!"

I was only gone for about fifteen minutes, but when I entered the room I saw B shaking in the corner of the room, knees to his chest. I nearly dropped the bottle of medicine.

"B-B!" I blurted, rushing over to him.

"L! D-don't leave me like that! You told me you were going to be right back!"

It must have seemed like longer to him…

'_Dammit, B! I thought you got over your abandonment issues years ago!'_ I thought. And suddenly I wanted to hit myself. Why hadn't I realized it earlier! It was so obvious!

And before I knew what was happening tears welled in my eyes, and I couldn't stop them from falling.

"L? Do-don't be sad, L! Please, please don't be sad! I-I don't- I don't…"

I wiped the tears from my face and sat down across from B. "I'm sorry… It's just- It's just that I'm the one who didn't attend A's funeral, I'm the reason he was stressed, I made you believe I wouldn't be home for Christmas, I-!"

B grabbed my wrists, and looked deeply into my eyes, and I looked into his ruby red ones. The intensity of his stare was almost frightening.

"L," he said firmly, "It's not your fault."

His voice kept cracking, and it was difficult to take him seriously for most of the time, but he really seemed to captivate me this time, and I listened carefully to his each word.

"L, I… I… I love you!"

I was at a loss for words, so I grabbed the first ones that came to mind.

"I… I love you, too," I managed to spit out rather dumbly.

We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, and I took in every mesmerizing detail of his pale face.

His pale…

Green…

Face…

Wait, green!

"Uh, B? You don't look so hot…"

BWLUKH!

And then, he vomited into my lap.

I just stared in awe at the mess on my legs for a moment, then looked up at my successor, who was currently clasping his hands over his mouth, and his face was flushed a dark red.

I felt my head lighten, and a small giggle escaped my lips.

"Hahaha!"

I sat there, laughing for the first time since I had called the boy who had just barfed on me.

"Wh-why are you laughing? I-I just puked on you!"

I stopped my mad-giggling and sputtered out;

"Oh, oh just- just the timing! It was funny! Do- do you feel better?"

B looked slightly shocked. "Y-yes, I- I do feel a lot better!" he replied.

"I'm glad."

I smiled slightly, and pulled the shy teen close to me, our heads touching.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," he copied.

Epilogue

Life went on after I came back. Everything was pretty much back to normal. B toughened up a bit, and even managed to give his former tormentors swirlies. Yeah, I had to give him detention for that one. He also seemed to be happier; I guess he just needed to get a few things off of his chest. He got over his anxiety problems before the week was up, and I couldn't have been happier about anything. His stability snapped in two shortly after I left again about a month and a half later.

He ran away at age 17.


End file.
